Week in Review - June 7, 2013

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WEEK IN REVIEW

New NASET Publications and Articles of Interest in Special Education and Disabilities That Were Reported This Week

June 7, 2013 - Vol 9, Issue 23

 

 

 

 

 

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Dear NASET News,

Welcome to NASET's WEEK in REVIEW Here, we provide you with the latest publications from NASET to read and or download, as well as some of the most interesting articles that have happened this week in the field of special education. We hope you enjoy this publication.  Feel free to send us articles for this publication or let us know your thoughts about the WEEK in REVIEW at news@naset.org.Have a great weekend.
 
Sincerely,


NASET News Team

 

NASET Sponsor - Drexel University Online

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New This Week on NASET

The Practical Teacher
June 2013

A Proper Fraction Museum
 

This issue of NASET's Practical Teacher was written by Karen Hazlett and Joanne Caniglia.  The article focuses on the building of a proper fraction museum.  It is the authors' professional opinions that by planning and designing their own museum exhibition, students come to understand the set, area, and symbolic models of fractions. They'll sharpen their organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills by creating signage and other documentation for the objects in the exhibition.


To read or download this issue - Click here; (login required)
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LD Report
June 2013
 

Using Universal Design for Learning: Successful Transition Models for Educators Working with Youth with Learning Disabilities

 

This issue of NASET's LD Report series was written by Amy Katzel and Laura Guillion and was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth. The article identifies and explains selected classroom-based strategies within the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model. General and special educators can implement the following strategies to engage students with disabilities (particularly those with learning disabilities) in order to prepare students to transition from secondary to post-secondary and workplace settings. The aim of this brief is to provide teachers with background knowledge and skills so that they can integrate evidence-based practices into the classroom to aid student learning.

To read or download this issue - Click here  (login required)
 

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See NASET's Latest Job Listings
 

  

Campaign Against Restraint and Seclusion Launches With New Film

New Hampshire-based filmmaker Dan Habib, whose first documentary, "Including Samuel,"chronicled the life of his family, which includes a son with cerebral palsy, is back with another film that talks about restraint and seclusion from the perspective of students.  "Restraint and Seclusion: Hear our Stories" marks the kickoff of the Stop Hurting Kids campaign, an effort by a coalition of 26 disability advocacy groups to stop the use of restraint and seclusion as a means to curb disruptive behavior. In addition to "Including Samuel," Habib also produced a film last year on a student with behavioral difficulties, called "Who Cares About Kelsey?" It was that film where Habib learned about some of the behavior management techniques that can help conflicts from escalating to the point where restraint or seclusion is considered necessary, Habib said in an interview. To read more, click here

 

Did You Know That....

Functional limitations are difficulties completing a variety of basic or complex activities that are associated with a health problem. For example, vision loss, hearing loss, and inability to move one's legs are functional limitations.

  

Splenda Raises Insulin By 20%, Routine Increases Of Insulin Could Mean Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Splenda, the popular artificial sweetner, may be doing more than making food taste good, anew study finds.  Researchers say the sweetener sucralose is capable of changing how the body metabolizes sugar by elevating insulin levels, which in some cases could lead to type 2 diabetes. "Our results indicate that this artificial sweetener is not inert -- it does have an effect," said M. Yanina Pepino, lead author and research assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. "And we need to do more studies to determine whether this observation means long-term use could be harmful."  To read more, click here

  

Toxic Metals: Lead Exposure Can Incite Schizophrenia

For a long time, lead has been suspected of stunting growth and causing autism, but now the metal has been proven to trigger schizophrenia in those with a genetic predisposition toward the mental disorder.  Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that may develop slowly as a result of genetic predisposition or environmental factors. Genetic disposition comes in the form of a mutation in receptors that normally respond to neurotransmitters in the brain that create excitatory responses. Common symptoms are anxiety, difficulty concentrating, bizarre or erratic behavior caused by hallucinations, and a constantly racing mind. Physically, schizophrenia can cause a swelling of the brain because neurotransmitters are not completely utilize.  To read more, click here

  

Are Children Who Take Ritalin for ADHD at Greater Risk of Future Drug Abuse?

UCLA research has shown that that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are far more likely than other kids to develop serious substance abuse problems as adolescents and adults. But do stimulant medications used to treat ADHD contribute to the risk? UCLA psychologists have conducted the most comprehensive assessment ever on this question and have found that children with ADHD who take medications such as Ritalin and Adderall are at no greater risk of using alcohol, marijuana, nicotine or cocaine later in life than kids with ADHD who don't take these medications.  The psychologists analyzed 15 long-term studies, including data from three studies not yet published. These studies followed more than 2,500 children with ADHD from childhood into adolescence and young adulthood.  To read more, click here

  

Anorexic Girls Don't Just Think They're Fat; They Move Like It, Too

Body image can alter how anorexic women move around, without them realizing it. According to a study published in PLoS One, anorexic patients not only think of themselves of fat, but also go as far as to unconsciously adjust the way they walk to avoid objects they aren't going to hit.  "It appears that for anorexia nervosa patients, experiencing their body as fat goes beyond thinking and perceiving themselves in such a way, it is even reflected in how they move around in the world," wrote the authors. Nearly two million people in the U.S. suffer from anorexia, and the majority are teenage or college-aged women. While a keen awareness of self-image is common in this age demographic, people with anorexia push the limits of this tendency and obsess over the perception of their own body image. This manifests into extreme, sometimes fatal, dieting. To read more, click here

 

Idioms, Cliches, And Jargon: Health Educational Materials Are Too Complicated To Understand

For many people, online research is one way to learn about possible health problems, symptoms, and treatments. And to help in that search, medical associations in many specialties post materials online to help educate patients. Unfortunately, a new study has found that most of those materials are more of a hindrance than a help.  The study, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says that readability assessments of materials found on the websites of all 16 medical specialties said they were too complex. The American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that all medical materials aimed at patients be written at a fourth- to sixth-grade reading level in order to be as comprehensible as possible. The materials assessed were far above that recommended level, the study says.  To read more, click here

 

Brain Activity in Sleep May Impact Emotional Disturbances in Children With ADHD

Sleep consolidates emotional memories in healthy children but not in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to research published May 29 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Alexander Prehn-Kristensen and colleagues from University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein. The study suggests these deficits in sleep-related emotional processing may exacerbate emotional problems experienced in the daytime by children with ADHD. For the study, healthy adults, healthy children and children with ADHD were shown pictures that had emotional relevance, such as a scary animal, or neutral pictures showing an umbrella or lamp. Participants were shown pictures in the evening, their brain activity was monitored as they slept, and recollections were tested the following morning. The researchers found that during sleep, regions of the brain thought to support consolidation of emotional memories were most active in healthy children, less so in healthy adults and least active in children with ADHD.  To read more, click here

 

Did You Know That....

Activity limitations are difficulties a person may have in doing activities. For example, not being able to brush one's teeth or open a medicine bottle are activity limitations.

  

Early Brain Responses to Words Predict Developmental Outcomes in Children With Autism

The pattern of brain responses to words in 2-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder predicted the youngsters' linguistic, cognitive and adaptive skills at ages 4 and 6, according to a new study. The findings, to be published May 29 in PLOS ONE, are among the first to demonstrate that a brain marker can predict future abilities in children with autism. "We've shown that the brain's indicator of word learning in 2-year-olds already diagnosed with autism predicts their eventual skills on a broad set of cognitive and linguistic abilities and adaptive behaviors," said lead author Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.  To read more, click here

 

NASET Sponsor - Drexel University Online

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Guess the answer to this week's trivia question and we'll recognize you in next week's Week in Review.
 
Congratulations to:  Mike Namian, Sheila Marie Trzcinka, Alexandra Pirard, Ope-Oluwa Olubela, Olumide Akerele, Marilyn Haile, Pamela R. Downing-Hosten, Catherine Cardenas, and Amy Anderson,  
who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question: IDEIA is Public Law 108-446.
  
  
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: 
Who was F. Hall Roe and why was he important to the field of technology in special education?
 
If you know the answer, send an email to contactus@naset.org 
All answers must be submitted no later than Monday, June 10, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.

 

  Senator Looks To Enhance Transition Services Nationwide

A key U.S. senator is pushing for expanded on-the-job opportunities for youth with disabilities while they are still in school and he's making the issue a top priority as Congress looks to tackle a major employment bill. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said he is currently working to bring a reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act up for consideration. As part of that process, Harkin said this week that he would like to see vocational rehabilitation agencies take a bigger role in facilitating internships and other real-world experiences for students with disabilities who are in transition. Currently, access to vocational rehabilitation varies widely from state to state, with employment services available to young people with special needs in some locations, but not others. Harkin is looking to change that.  To read more, click here

  

Special Education Could Face $2 Billion In Cuts

As a new round of budget talks gets underway in Congress, special education advocates are sounding the alarm about big cuts that may be on the horizon. Preliminary figures from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations indicate that education programs could be slashed by nearly 20 percent for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, partly as a result of the sequester, the across-the-board spending cuts that took effect in March. Though detailed proposals have yet to be released, the Council for Exceptional Children - which lobbies on behalf of special educators - is estimating that such cuts would mean more than $2 billion less for programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To read more, click here

 

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NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT -

Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Members

Through an agreement with The American Academy of Special Education Professionals(AASEP), NASET members now have the opportunity to achieve AASEP Board Certification in Special Education - (B.C.S.E.) at a reduced fee.  AASEP Board Certification in Special Education - (B.C.S.E.) is a voluntary choice on the part of the candidate. The candidate for Board Certification wishes to demonstrate a commitment to excellence to employers, peers, administrators, other professionals, and parents. From the standpoint of the Academy, board certification will demonstrate the highest professional competency in the area of special education. Board Certification in Special Educationestablishes a much needed standard for professionals, across disciplines, who work with exceptional children.  

 

For more information on Board Certification in Special Education, click here

 

Study Sheds Light On Down Syndrome, Possible Treatments

New research is offering clues about what's happening in the brains of people with Down syndrome and why they often appear to age more rapidly than others. Many individuals with Down syndrome get gray hair, wrinkles and even develop Alzheimer's disease in their 40s. Researchers say they now have more evidence that the cause of this accelerated aging could be a high level of what's known as oxidative stress in the neurons of those with the chromosomal disorder. In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers took skin cells from individuals with Down syndrome which they transformed in order to grow brain cells. Doing so allowed the scientists to observe how brain cells in those with the chromosomal disorder develop from the start.  To read more, click here

 

Many Parents Unaware of Teens' Abuse of ADHD Drugs

One in 10 teens admits to using a prescription stimulant or amphetamine to boost their performance in school, but most parents aren't aware of the scope of the problem, a new study finds. In an effort to stay alert and get better grades, students are taking so-called "study drugs," such as Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin and Vyvanse, which are intended to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Taking these medications, however, has not been shown to help students improve their grades, the researchers said, and abuse of these drugs could be very dangerous.  To read more, click here

 
 

NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT -

Group Savings Plus from Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual Savings
As a member of NASET you qualify for a special group discount* on your auto, home, and renter's insurance through Group Savings Plus® from Liberty Mutual. This unique program allows you to purchase high-quality auto, home and renters insurance at low group rates.

 

See for yourself how much money you could save with Liberty Mutual compared to your current insurance provider. For a free, no-obligation quote, call 800-524-9400 or visit

www.libertymutual.com/naset, or visit your local sales office.

*Group discounts, other discounts, and credits are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state.  Certain discounts apply to specific coverage only.  To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify.  Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA.

 
Bullied Kids More Likely to Self-Harm as Teens

Children who are bullied in elementary school are almost five times more likely to engage in self-harm by the time they are teenagers, according to a new study. Based on their findings, the British researchers behind the study concluded that no form of bullying -- from name-calling to physical abuse -- should be viewed as a harmless rite of passage. Doctors should routinely ask children if they have been the victim of a bully, the researchers said. "The importance of this early intervention should not be understated," study co-author Dieter Wolke, a professor at the University of Warwick, said in a school news release. "If we were able to eliminate bullying, while other exposures remained constant, there would be a potential to prevent 20 percent of all self-harm cases."  To read more, click here

 

Did You Know That....

Participation means being involved in a life situation and fully participating in society. For example, attending school and playing sports. This also means including people with disabilities in all aspects of a community's political, social, economic and cultural life.

 

For Kids With Autism, a Day at the Races With NASCAR

In one key way, Brandon Brooking is like millions of other 16-year-old American boys: He loves NASCAR. But Brandon is also affected by autism, making it a bit tougher to enjoy the speedway sport up close. "Like many people with autism, Brandon focuses on one thing -- and for Brandon that thing is racing," said Melissa Brooking, Brandon's mom. "My husband is a NASCAR fan, and for Brandon it started about four or five years ago. There's just something about it he loves. He can't write his name or read, but he knows everything about every single person involved in car racing -- the flagmen, the crew, the drivers."  To read more, click here

 

Mental Illness in Kids With Epilepsy May Depend on Seizure Location

Depression and behavioral problems are common among children and teens with a type of epilepsy known as temporal lobe epilepsy, according to a new study. Seizures involving the temporal lobe of the brain are associated with significant psychiatric problems, the researchers found. Because of this, psychiatric evaluations are important for children with epilepsy, especially those who don't respond to anti-seizure medications and need surgery for their condition, the study authors pointed out in the report published online this month in the journal Epilepsia.  To read more, click here

 

Thyroid Disorders Tied to Complications in Pregnancy

Pregnant women with thyroid disorders are at greater risk for premature delivery and other pregnancy complications, a new study indicates. Researchers caution that these complications could have both short-term and long-term health consequences for women and their babies. Thyroid disease occurs when the thyroid gland -- located at the front of the neck -- doesn't supply the proper amount of hormones needed by the body. "In the United States, at least 80,000 pregnant women each year have thyroid diseases," study lead author, Dr. Tuija Mannisto, of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), said in a news release from the Endocrine Society.  To read more, click here

 

 

 

 jobsNASET's Latest Job Listings

* Director of Learning Services - Archer has an opening, starting in August 2013, for a Director of Learning Services to support students in Grades 6-12 who have documented learning differences. The Director of Learning Services collaborates with faculty on effective teaching strategies and differentiated instruction in the classroom. To learn more - Click here

 

* Learning Specialist - Provide Special Education students with learning activities and experiences designed to help them fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical, and social growth. Develop or modify curricula and prepare lessons and other instructional materials to student levels. To learn more - Click here

 

* Master Middle School Teachers- $125,000 Salary - Join a team of master teachers at The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, recently featured on the front page of the New York Times. TEP is a 480-student 5th through 8th grade middle school in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. To learn more -Click here

 

* Special Education Teacher - We are looking for highly motivated and skilled talent to join our team at the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). We seek individuals who are passionate about transforming and improving educational outcomes for our students.To learn more - Click here

 

* Vocational Trainer - We are seeking a motivated, energetic professional, former special ed teacher or similar, to join us as a part-time vocational trainer. This person must be comfortable working independently, although with the support and collaboration of everyone in the organization. To learn more - Click here

 

Food For Thought..........

The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.
                  Franklin D. Roosevelt 

 

 

 

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